Welcome toAcademic Writing Program

The Writing Program at Manhattanville is committed to promoting excellence in critical writing, reading and thinking in the Freshman Writing Seminar, and to helping students to continue to build their skills through drafting and feedback in courses designated W and W/R ("Writing" and "Writing with Research") within the disciplines.

Every freshman will take ENC 4010: the Freshman Writing Seminar   (exemptions are granted only to students who have completed the Advanced Placement English Language and Composition or English Literature and Composition exams with a 4 or 5). Freshmen choose from a variety of Writing Seminars covering specific topics in different fields including anthropology, history, film, gender studies and English. The primary goal of each course is to help students master strategies for successful academic writing within a single discipline.

In addition to the Freshman Writing Seminar, students must take two W or W/R courses by the end of their junior year. Through directed guidance and feedback in these classes, students are encouraged to read, analyze and think more rigorously, and to produce incisive, elegant essays, lab reports, case studies, or other forms of writing specific to the field of study.

The program also offers workshops and tutoring for students in all stages of writing competency. This site provides important links to handouts that describe the writing process, topics in grammar and style, and guidelines for research.

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